Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: House on Fire
SERIES: Ashes & Dust
AUTHOR: Jenn Burke
NARRATOR: Tim Paige
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
LENGTH: 6 hours and 26 minutes
RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2021
BLURB:
He’s done fighting his attraction to the sexy vampire . . .
To say former firefighter Colin Zhang is struggling to accept his new life would be a vast understatement. He’s bound to a vampire he didn’t choose, living in a house filled with creatures better left to the imagination—there’s a lot to resent. As much as he tries, he doesn’t resent Evan—far from it. But he needs to know that what he feels is real and that requires breaking their bond. No matter the cost.
Vampire private investigator Evan Fournier is more than willing to explore his connection with Colin, but the crisis at hand keeps getting in the way. Their bond makes it dangerous for them to be apart, so he’s forced to put the other man at risk while he investigates the latest in a series of murders. If he doesn’t find the killer soon, the paranormal community will seek retribution on all humans, not just the guilty ones.
As the tensions escalate, Evan and Colin find solace in each other and their growing attraction. But if their bond is broken, attraction—even love—might not be enough to keep them safe.
Contains mature themes.
REVIEW:
Note: This is the second book in this series and will not make any sense without having read Fired Up first. In fact, it’s is recommended to read the previous series Not Dead Yet that this series is spun off from.
Colin and Evan are still getting used to their bond. Colin is still dealing with being what he is and that this is his life among paranormals. There is the return of Priya and a huge reveal for Colin as well. There is soooo much going on in this story that I kind of felt like I should have relistened to the first book before I dove into this one. There is a lot of action and the murders and mystery is well written. I don’t want to be spoilery about the plot but somebody is killing paranormals – while also releasing videos of paranormals on social media with the tags “they’re all around us” and this is turning into a real problem. When the legitimate news starts running the videos and questioning what is happening, the heat is definitely on.
Colin is questioning the bond – and what it means to his relationship with Evan. He still wants to break their bond because he’s not sure what is real and what is not. He also isn’t happy to have to follow Evan around. He just doesn’t have his own life 🙁 And he’s already missed so much of his life while under the control of others. So what should they do? Evan isn’t happy about it but he knows that Colin isn’t happy and needs answers. They need help to even attempt this and nobody knows what the consequences might be.
While this was an enjoyable second book in this series in many respects, I really wanted more romance between Colin and Evan. I still don’t feel like I know Colin that well since the story is told from Evan’s POV. The peril is real for so many here with the murders and the threats of exposure. I liked the action and suspense, but I the romance doesn’t exactly move forward in this one. I sure hope we get a resolution in the next book since there is a bit of a cliffhanger ending there!
On a personal note, I love all the references to the Greater TO places 🙂 Over twenty years ago I worked in Downsview on a project at the old aerospace plant and for a month stayed at a hotel across the street from Yorkdale. I used to go there every night to walk around after work. I haven’t been back in a while and I can’t wait to visit again. Toronto is one of my favorite cities so I love it when books are set in there 😀
Finally Tim Paige does his usual excellent job performing this story. The consistency between the books is amazing. There are a lot of characters here and it would be easy to get lost in trying to figure out who was who. The accents and voices used helped tremendously. But most importantly is the emotive acting of this story that sets this narrator apart. I felt the pain and confusion of these characters. I look forward to the next book because damn! This ending! Yeah. Recommended.
RATING:
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